So, I’ve talked a bit about PVP storytelling, and I’d like to keep doing that during my time here. I’ve tiptoed around proposals here and there - now I’d like to take a crack at fleshing one out.
Overall Ground Rules
According to Christina Norman’s 2014 GDC talk: “Storytelling in Multiplayer Competitive Games”, there are four ground rules to keep in mind.
- Never Irritating - and this means that story needs to be opt-in, and that it needs to remember why the players are there (to have fun playing the game).
- No pausing or delays. (Or pressing to skip) Interrupting the flow of gameplay or putting a cinematic at the end of the experience isn’t an option, the story needs to be delivered while play is going on.
- No distractions - because distractions get you killed.
- No conflicting goals. That is, if someone is pursuing a story objective, that can’t effectively mean that the team is down a player, the story needs to support the mechanical objectives.
There are a bevy of so-called “cursed problems” inherent to the application of these rules to a game that also wants to have a narrative. I’d argue that #1 is hitting the game on a franchise-wide level, but to stay focused, these are the elements we will have to keep in mind.
I want to also keep another element in mind: counterplay. One of Norman’s examples in that talk is the “The Hunt is On” example from League of Legends - which I take slight issue with because one of the teams could end up with an overpowered player if they finish their story event. I want to react to that by saying that if one team gets something from a story event, then so does the other. I’ll get into how with later quest discussions.
Background Lore
Edit: Adding this post for further context - a BG revamp of this sort would fit within the larger context and contours of this proposal (with some details changed from the Orc and Night Elf sections): https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/writing-a-pvp-narrative-post-shadowlands/801368
After Battle for Azeroth and during Shadowlands, negotiations between the Alliance and the Horde broke down. Because Tyrande never signed the peace treaty, the fighting, while subjected to lulls now and then to allow for some fits of failed negotiation, never stopped, and a revamped Alliance questing experience in Ashenvale would show how the Night Elves pushed the Horde out of the region for good (they do this at the expense of losing Stonetalon - which is another conversation).
During that questing, we encounter a Silverwing commander who is out for revenge. She drops hints during the questing, like “that was for so and so” at times - and she and the player participate in some of the major offensives. One of the things I want with this character is for her to cut a darker tone than a typical Alliance heroes. She doesn’t take prisoners, for example, and considers attacks not always in terms of what’s strategically the best idea - but what will result in as many dead Orcs as possible.
For the Horde side, I incorporate this story by reference - the silver sentinel in it will be the character described above, with these actions taking place after the Alliance questing:
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/wanting-to-be-hated/838095/716
Both sets of questing will eventually lead you to the quests that we discuss today.
Hybrid Approach: Optional, reputation based questline with repeatable battleground components intended to introduce mayhem to random BGs.
I am going to concede that we can’t do ALL of this directly in the BG. The need for a kind of personal narrative to follow these two commanders conflicts directly with the method of gameplay. So there would be an optional tie-in questline for each of the commanders that unlocks itself as you gain more reputation with the Silverwing Avengers and the Warsong Militia.
Additionally, for each change in reputation (you start at friendly), you gain access to a quest that changes the battle somewhat, by for instance, introducing the ability to use glaive throwers on the map to destroy the enemy’s available “buff huts” - however, if you have this quest, the Horde would also gain access to demolishers to do the same to you to ensure that this quest is something that the other side can derive counterplay from.
This also means that every time someone is doing this quest, or the weekly repeatable version of it, the battleground’s rules have been slightly altered for both teams. (Obviously, this would not apply to rated play) If more than one person has the quest on one side, while both players would get any voice over content or “invisible content” (stuff that only the player with the quest can see - added for flavor, not for mechanics), the mechanics would appear once. If multiple players with multiple quests are in the same battleground, then the different mechanics stack, leading to additional variability in the battleground that provides new kinds of play for each team.
The quests.
(A) (PVE) Full Moon is Rising
(H) (PVP) The Sky is Black
This was mentioned in the linked content - but from the Orcish perspective. The Alliance perspective is going to be that act of being intercepted, where the Orcish commander is presented as your antagonist, with the Horde content doing so vice versa. This quest has similar mechanics on both sides - and serves to give you more content with your commander, but crucially, to present the enemy commander as well. Each respective side comes back intrigued and angered by their counterpart. This acts as the breadcrumb from the questing content to the Gulch’s questline.
(A) (Optional) (Friendly) (PVE) Silverwing Gulch
(A) (Optional) (Friendly) (PVP) Breaking in your glaive
(H) (Optional) (Friendly) (PVE) Warsong Valley
(H) (Optional) (Friendly) (PVP) Cutting your Teeth
You pick this quest up in Silverwing Grove or the Mor’shan Base Camp - which appear to each have been destroyed. The Sentinel Commander explains that Silverwing Grove was raided by the Horde’s rogues in the opening acts of the Third War - commenting bitterly that they didn’t kill her. The Orcish commander notes that the Night Elves ransacked the Mor’shan Ramparts and the Base Camp just days ago - and that the Warsong only recently took the area back.
For the PVE quest - you are introduced to a subcommander who complains that in battles of Warsong Gulch’s past, many new grunts/sentinels would get themselves killed by fighting in the middle, getting distracted, or not knowing what to do. To deal with that, they’ve set up a mock version of the gulch, and they’re going to have you participate in a mock ‘battle’ to learn the ropes of the battleground itself. (This quest can be repeated)
The PVP quest gives you a sentinel or grunt companion, who fights with you - although in reality they do no damage and can only be seen by you. This NPC will give voice-over lines that will encourage you to participate well in the battleground. Things like “the battle is over there!” if you stray too far away from the action. “Our banner is undefended!” If no one is watching the flag room. Or “they’re getting away with our banner!” If you’re fighting in the middle and the flag carrier is nearby. (this quest is also repeatable)
These quests are essentially tutorials - and they can be repeated until you reach honored.
(H) (Honored) (PVE): In the Dead of Night
(A) (Honored) (PVE): Glide the Mist
The Horde quest, available immediately after you arrive at the Mor’shan Base Camp - asks you to visit the Warsong Militia quartermaster, and then to return to the commander’s tent. There, you find a Night Elf spy - who is quickly cornered and surrenders. The Warsong commander asks her directly about who sent her, offering fair treatment in exchange for the information - which she gives - thus informing the Horde player of the Silverwing commander, and providing some context about her. The Warsong commander leaves the spy under guard.
The Alliance content picks up here. The Silverwing Commander expresses concern that the spy that she sent should have been back by now, and sends the player on a mission to retrieve her. The Alliance player witnesses this exchange, and after the warsong commander leaves, is given the option to distract the guard (or try to kill - but that runs the risk of bringing the whole garrison down on them) and rescue the spy. She reveals what she found out about the Warsong commander - including his history.
The spy also reveals in both instances that each respective commander is planning on bringing in some artillery support.
(H) (Honored) (PVP) Heavy Duty
(A) (Honored) (PVP) The Rippers
These quests introduce siege weapons that can attack other players, but are most useful for eliminating “buff huts”. Each team gets two of them if this quest is activated, although if they are destroyed, they do not regenerate. You complete the quest by successfully destroying one buff hut, at which time an NPC congratulates you over voice over that you have deprived a vital resource from the enemy.
(H) (Revered) (PVE) You won’t break me
(A) (Revered) (PVE) You won’t take me
The Warsong have secured help from the Bilgewater Cartel and seek to mine the approaches from the Mor’shan Rampart. Unfortunately, the Silverwing have attracted help from their gnomish Allies, who have provided them with a device that has irradiated the Mor’shan Rampart. The gulch is now the only way to get from the barrens to Ashenvale, and vice versa. Various skirmishes erupt of course with the other side for each of these quests - commanded by the opposing commander, who achieves their goal of either mining the pass or irradiating the rampart.
(H) (Revered) (PVP) Ram it Down
(A) (Revered) (PVP) Under Blood Red Skies
These quests both involve a “flight master” - nestled deep within the respective bases. The player with the quest gets an NPC companion who provides VO encouragement, but anyone can talk to the flight master - and end up on either a hippogryph or a wyvern, from whom the player may throw explosive devices on the other combatants - as they complete an on-rails loop similar to the repeatable quest at Quel’Danas. Only one player may be in the air at once, they may not make that trip twice, and if the opposing faction kills the flight master, this option is no longer available.
(H) (Exalted) (PVE) Sworn to Avenge
(A) (Exalted) (PVE) Condemn to Hell
These quests involve each of the commanders seeking out the other in a PVE version of Warsong Gulch, complete with clashing forces on either side. The player’s objective is to protect their commander from waves of enemies, but the commanders end up fighting each other directly on this battlefield at several points. We learn by this point that outrage, in both instances, has turned into grudging respect. The sentinel respects that the Orc had been motivated to defend his people because of what happened to his family. The Orc sees his own pain in the sentinel - and a vision of the person he could become if he allows himself to be consumed by his pain. Both of them fail to kill the other, but each vow that they will someday.
(H) (Exalted) (PVP) Tempt not the Blade
(A) (Exalted) (PVP) All fear the Sentinel
The conflict from the PVE quests described previously continue in this quest. The Silverwing Commander enters the battlefield personally, capable of using a version of the starfall spell. She is counteracted by the Warsong commander - who has a wide-ranging bladestorm spell. These two will not immediately rush to the center of the map to fight each other, but will prefer defending the flags - including chasing the flag bearers, which may occasionally put them into conflict - during which moments we’ll get some voice-over content calling back to their status as each others’ nemesis.
Conclusion.
The overall point to this is to take the emotions around this battlefront, and put them in a competitive environment, where they belong. I did, however, focus a part of the conflict around two generic characters - who I nevertheless think should be the recipients of media and more attention than I can devote in the space of a post like this. It is my hope that this results in a balanced presentation of the conflict, although, I would appreciate everyone’s thoughts on this proposal.
Edit: Changed Steamwheedle to Bilgewater per feedback from another thread.